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Company Jungle Training
Extracts from an unpublished book
by
L/Cpl. William Joseph Lowe 14640525

 

.....Next afternoon, we joined our Company and our first job was to make a bed by cutting down small trees and using our ground sheets. The training that we received here was very poorly planed, and very little practical knowledge was gained. On the last day of this training a number of fellows were swept over into the river while crossing a ford, and were found about 90 miles away about a week later.

.....Moving back to camp to clear up, we were informed that 4 days later we were moving out to do training with tanks and 25 pounders. This went off very much to everyone’s surprise, with no one injured. During the night I heard the Jackals and Hyenas for the first time. After our five days here we had to manhandle all our kit back on the road about 800 yards as the heavy rain had made it impossible for the trucks to get up to the camp. This time we had a month in our camp, going to the range about twice a week.

.....Next we moved off to the Vadi jungle for 3 weeks training, and to finish off with a march back to camp of just over 100 miles. On arrival at our place for the camp, we were given a 160Ib tent for 16 men; usually 4 – 6 men to a tent. So, at night we were packed like sardines. A few nights we were called out ‘to stand to’; that was to dress and take up positions for action, in the pouring rain. On one occasion the Padre sent us back to our tents after we had been out for half an hour in the rain, and then went into the Officers Mess and made a speech to them as they were making merry and drinking while we were wet through.

.....On one of our training marches, a Ghurka Linesman fell dead while carrying a reel of line. When the day came for us to march back, only half were fit to do so, the rest having been sent back with foot rot.

For the net two months, we just did the usual routine training, and then we started packing and sending our personal kit to the depot at Bombay. Next we were issued with Serge B.D. and everyone thought we were going to the North West Frontier.

 

 

 

L/Cpl. William Joseph Lowe